Meritas Capability Webinar - California’s Prohibition Against Non-Compete Agreements (B&P Code § 16600), the Protection of Trade Secrets and the Practical Relationship Between the Two
Zynga May Shed Light on Its Own Practices in Going After Former Employee for Trade Secrets Theft
On April 22, the Federal Trade Commission issued its final “Non-Compete Clause Rule” which bans most non-competes in the United States. It will become effective 120 days after it is published in the Federal Register....more
Enforceability of releases for unknown claims at the time of settlement is a well-established legal principle, as highlighted in the recent case, arrivia Inc. v. Rowley, No. CV-23-01039-PHX-DLR, 2023 WL 7386384 (D. Ariz. Nov....more
Much has been written about Senate Bill 169 (S.B. 169), which established new limits on noncompetition agreements in Oregon as of 1 January 2022. Less attention has been paid to what employers can still do to protect their...more
Earlier this month, plaintiff Bright Side, LLC dba Herbal Edibles, a manufacturer of cannabis edibles, filed a lawsuit in New Mexico state court to enforce a 3-year non-compete and enjoin the misappropriation of its trade...more
From sweeping legislation to unexpected case law, and everything in between, 2018 brought a lot of changes to unfair competition law....more
Over the last decade, non-compete reform has been a third rail of Massachusetts politics. Although many employers believe non-compete agreements are necessary to protect their trade secrets and confidential information,...more
After nearly a decade of debate, Massachusetts has passed comprehensive legislation limiting the use of noncompetition agreements. Last Friday, Gov. Charlie Baker officially signed “An Act Relative to the Enforcement of...more
The Massachusetts General Court has passed legislation that, if signed by the governor, will comprehensively reform the law governing employee noncompetition agreements and trade-secret misappropriation. If enacted, these...more
Executive Summary and Takeaway: Trade secrets and confidential information are receiving increasing protection in many states, and as more states perceive this as a "business friendly" issue, this trend will continue and...more
As we previously reported, the Massachusetts House and Senate passed contrasting versions of non-compete reform bills in 2016 but were unable to come to an agreement by the end of the legislative session. Efforts began anew...more
On May 11, President Obama signed the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (DTSA), which received rare support across party lines, passing Congress unanimously in the Senate and by a vote of 410-2 in the House of Representatives....more
The Senate and House passed the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (DTSA) on April 11 and April 27, 2016, respectively. President Obama previously indicated that he will sign DTSA into law. Below is a brief synopsis of DTSA's...more
Hawaii joined the small list of states that prohibit certain non-compete agreements with employees. On June 26, 2015, Hawaii’s governor David Ige signed Act 158 which voids any “noncompete clause or a nonsolicit clause...more
I’ve written many times about Section 16600 of California’s Business & Professions Code which, with limited exceptions, voids covenants not to compete. See TRO Issued Enjoining Breach Of Non-Compete Agreement Clauses, No...more